Sharp
07-27-2008, 11:17 AM
I did this some time ago and posted it another forums, but I might as well share it here.
ENJOY!!
So finally Cloak and I have acquired a good assortment of medium sized fix blades to test.
We finally finished the test to today.
The test is broken down in to 2 categories: Use and Comfort.
Then those two categories are broken down into several sub categories: fuzz/curl making, batonning, chopping, and drilling.
Ratings will be given to comfort during all these task. This is a very limited view as we are only gauging initial comfort during use. We are not measuring how comfortable the knife is after prolong use.
This is a simple test that includes some of the most vital tasks for survival/bushcraft. Of course, it is not limited to just these four.
So on to the test.
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee292/The_Aaij_1/DSC_0133-1.jpg
(note: not all of these have pictures of the individual knives and task.)
So here are the contestants.
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee292/The_Aaij_1/DSC_0135-2.jpg
RC-4
DMDC
LMF II
SOG
YKLE
Nimravus
RMD
For refreshments, we had the unfortunate happening that we are only 17, and thus drinks were non-alcoholic. :D
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee292/The_Aaij_1/DSC_0141-1.jpg
Fuzz/curl Making
This is how the curls were made. The basic set-up is a piece of wood secured under my quads and behind the knee joint. The curls were made with one hand choked up on the handle and one knife on the spine near the tip or mid blade.
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee292/The_Aaij_1/DSC_0136-2.jpg
RC-4: Produced fine curls with little loss of curls. The choil on this was a bit too small to be helpful.
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee292/The_Aaij_1/DSC_0137-2.jpg
DMDC: Almost as fine curls as RC-4, however there was a little more loss of curls due to higher grind and thicker blade. The choil works well for this task.
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee292/The_Aaij_1/DSC_0140-1.jpg
LMF-II: Very coarse curls with plain edge (as if they were about to break), quite a good amount of curls lost. Serrated edge created very fat thick cuts, no loss. The large handle was comfortable for slicing. The knife was not sharp and does not take a good edge.
Plain portion
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee292/The_Aaij_1/DSC_0143-1.jpg
Serrated Portion
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee292/The_Aaij_1/DSC_0142-1.jpg
SOG: Decent curls with plain edge, but with some loss of curls. Better curls with the serrated edge, very little loss, but still not as good as the DMDC or RC-4. Handles were extremely uncomfortable
Left is plain portion, right is serrated portion.
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee292/The_Aaij_1/DSC_0144-1.jpg
YKLE: Very good curls that rolled up very tightly, probably due to this being the sharpest knife. (thanks to Horn Dog). The knife was not this sharp from the factory. Little curls were lost. The Paracord handles created more hotspots than no paracord.
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee292/The_Aaij_1/DSC_0146-1.jpg
Nimravus: Very thin blade allowed for some long thin curls that held very well. Not as tightly bound as the YK but slices effortlessly. Probably the best curls for burning. Very little loss of curls. This knife is the most similar to a Scandinavian-ground bushcraft knife, and is probably the best slicer of the bunch.
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee292/The_Aaij_1/DSC_0147-1.jpg
RMD: Curls very similar to Nimravus, however, harder time pushing knife through the wood. There was definitely some loss of curls. This knife was not as sharp as others like the RC-4, but was about as sharp as it came from the factory.
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee292/The_Aaij_1/DSC_0148-1.jpg
Batonning
The batonning was done while kneeling.
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee292/The_Aaij_1/DSC_0150-1.jpg
Here are some action shots.
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee292/The_Aaij_1/DSC_0151-1.jpg
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee292/The_Aaij_1/DSC_0152-1.jpg
RC-4: The new crinkle coat smoothes quickly. The knife splits slowly but the handle is very comfortable, but a bit short.
DMDC: With the double cut finish, you don’t need to worry about coating loss. The knife splits well but the RES-C handles were not very comfortable for this task. Because the handles were too short, the thick hilt bashed into my palm. Very secure though, no slippage
LMF-II: The saber grind on this knife helped to make it the best batonner. The saber grind splits faster because of the higher grind angle and the reduced friction on the wood. The very long handle on this knife helped to keep the blade perpendicular to the wood. The rubber handles were comfortable, but might blister after long use. Serration teeth might also be damaged after long use.
SOG: Tied for worst in this category, the SOG was inferior in every regard. The knife split slowly and the checked handles rip up your palm. Furthermore, the swedge destroys your batoning log much more quickly than other knives. Same serration tip concerns as LMF.
The baton from the SOG.
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee292/The_Aaij_1/DSC_0153-1.jpg
The baton from other knife use.
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee292/The_Aaij_1/DSC_0154.jpg
(baton made from oak)
YKLE: This knife experienced the same problems as DMDC in terms of hilt discomfort. The knife was slightly too thick to work as well as the others, and also too short for most batonning. The paracord produced hot spots and did not help for this task.
Nimravus: Also tied for worst in this group, the Nimravus’ textured Aluminum handles also ripped up the handles. Also, the tang is not designed to be flush with the handles (it’s wider than the slabs), similar to the Chris Reeve Green Beret knife. This protruding tang was very comfortable and would absolutely wreck your hand. The knife was also too thin to split the wood quickly
RMD: Nearly as quick as the LMF, the saber grind zips through the wood. The long handle prevents the hilt issues that occurred with the RES-C handles. This is the second best knife in this category.
Chopping
RC-4: Created shallow bites but was very comfortable
DMDC: Created deep bites but the end of the handle caused extreme abrasion with the pinky, quickly creating the so-called “Busse Pinky”. After prolong use, the handles would get uncomfortable
LMF-II: The bites on this knife was either as deep as the DMDC or slightly deeper. Not too bad of a chopper. The handles would also have the same problem as the Res-C.
SOG: Most likely the worst chopper of the knives tested. Very shallow bites were created and the handles were extremely uncomfortable. The checkering digs very deep into the hands and an occasional slip caused the areas of the hand to sting. This was also the lightest knife.
YKLE: The created some medium bites. Not as good as the DMDC but not as bad as the RC-4. The nub at the bottom of the end of the handle created the same problem as the DMDC. The paracord handle was actually slightly more comfortable.
Nimravus: Almost as bad as the SOG in chopping. Very shallow bites along with deep bidirectional pattering of the aluminum handles make this one of the poorer choppers.
RMD: Created medium-deep bits. About as good as the knife was expected to perform.
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee292/The_Aaij_1/DSC_0155-1.jpg
The best choppers were the LMF II and the DMDC.
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee292/The_Aaij_1/DSC_0156.jpg
ENJOY!!
So finally Cloak and I have acquired a good assortment of medium sized fix blades to test.
We finally finished the test to today.
The test is broken down in to 2 categories: Use and Comfort.
Then those two categories are broken down into several sub categories: fuzz/curl making, batonning, chopping, and drilling.
Ratings will be given to comfort during all these task. This is a very limited view as we are only gauging initial comfort during use. We are not measuring how comfortable the knife is after prolong use.
This is a simple test that includes some of the most vital tasks for survival/bushcraft. Of course, it is not limited to just these four.
So on to the test.
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee292/The_Aaij_1/DSC_0133-1.jpg
(note: not all of these have pictures of the individual knives and task.)
So here are the contestants.
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee292/The_Aaij_1/DSC_0135-2.jpg
RC-4
DMDC
LMF II
SOG
YKLE
Nimravus
RMD
For refreshments, we had the unfortunate happening that we are only 17, and thus drinks were non-alcoholic. :D
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee292/The_Aaij_1/DSC_0141-1.jpg
Fuzz/curl Making
This is how the curls were made. The basic set-up is a piece of wood secured under my quads and behind the knee joint. The curls were made with one hand choked up on the handle and one knife on the spine near the tip or mid blade.
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee292/The_Aaij_1/DSC_0136-2.jpg
RC-4: Produced fine curls with little loss of curls. The choil on this was a bit too small to be helpful.
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee292/The_Aaij_1/DSC_0137-2.jpg
DMDC: Almost as fine curls as RC-4, however there was a little more loss of curls due to higher grind and thicker blade. The choil works well for this task.
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee292/The_Aaij_1/DSC_0140-1.jpg
LMF-II: Very coarse curls with plain edge (as if they were about to break), quite a good amount of curls lost. Serrated edge created very fat thick cuts, no loss. The large handle was comfortable for slicing. The knife was not sharp and does not take a good edge.
Plain portion
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee292/The_Aaij_1/DSC_0143-1.jpg
Serrated Portion
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee292/The_Aaij_1/DSC_0142-1.jpg
SOG: Decent curls with plain edge, but with some loss of curls. Better curls with the serrated edge, very little loss, but still not as good as the DMDC or RC-4. Handles were extremely uncomfortable
Left is plain portion, right is serrated portion.
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee292/The_Aaij_1/DSC_0144-1.jpg
YKLE: Very good curls that rolled up very tightly, probably due to this being the sharpest knife. (thanks to Horn Dog). The knife was not this sharp from the factory. Little curls were lost. The Paracord handles created more hotspots than no paracord.
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee292/The_Aaij_1/DSC_0146-1.jpg
Nimravus: Very thin blade allowed for some long thin curls that held very well. Not as tightly bound as the YK but slices effortlessly. Probably the best curls for burning. Very little loss of curls. This knife is the most similar to a Scandinavian-ground bushcraft knife, and is probably the best slicer of the bunch.
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee292/The_Aaij_1/DSC_0147-1.jpg
RMD: Curls very similar to Nimravus, however, harder time pushing knife through the wood. There was definitely some loss of curls. This knife was not as sharp as others like the RC-4, but was about as sharp as it came from the factory.
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee292/The_Aaij_1/DSC_0148-1.jpg
Batonning
The batonning was done while kneeling.
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee292/The_Aaij_1/DSC_0150-1.jpg
Here are some action shots.
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee292/The_Aaij_1/DSC_0151-1.jpg
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee292/The_Aaij_1/DSC_0152-1.jpg
RC-4: The new crinkle coat smoothes quickly. The knife splits slowly but the handle is very comfortable, but a bit short.
DMDC: With the double cut finish, you don’t need to worry about coating loss. The knife splits well but the RES-C handles were not very comfortable for this task. Because the handles were too short, the thick hilt bashed into my palm. Very secure though, no slippage
LMF-II: The saber grind on this knife helped to make it the best batonner. The saber grind splits faster because of the higher grind angle and the reduced friction on the wood. The very long handle on this knife helped to keep the blade perpendicular to the wood. The rubber handles were comfortable, but might blister after long use. Serration teeth might also be damaged after long use.
SOG: Tied for worst in this category, the SOG was inferior in every regard. The knife split slowly and the checked handles rip up your palm. Furthermore, the swedge destroys your batoning log much more quickly than other knives. Same serration tip concerns as LMF.
The baton from the SOG.
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee292/The_Aaij_1/DSC_0153-1.jpg
The baton from other knife use.
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee292/The_Aaij_1/DSC_0154.jpg
(baton made from oak)
YKLE: This knife experienced the same problems as DMDC in terms of hilt discomfort. The knife was slightly too thick to work as well as the others, and also too short for most batonning. The paracord produced hot spots and did not help for this task.
Nimravus: Also tied for worst in this group, the Nimravus’ textured Aluminum handles also ripped up the handles. Also, the tang is not designed to be flush with the handles (it’s wider than the slabs), similar to the Chris Reeve Green Beret knife. This protruding tang was very comfortable and would absolutely wreck your hand. The knife was also too thin to split the wood quickly
RMD: Nearly as quick as the LMF, the saber grind zips through the wood. The long handle prevents the hilt issues that occurred with the RES-C handles. This is the second best knife in this category.
Chopping
RC-4: Created shallow bites but was very comfortable
DMDC: Created deep bites but the end of the handle caused extreme abrasion with the pinky, quickly creating the so-called “Busse Pinky”. After prolong use, the handles would get uncomfortable
LMF-II: The bites on this knife was either as deep as the DMDC or slightly deeper. Not too bad of a chopper. The handles would also have the same problem as the Res-C.
SOG: Most likely the worst chopper of the knives tested. Very shallow bites were created and the handles were extremely uncomfortable. The checkering digs very deep into the hands and an occasional slip caused the areas of the hand to sting. This was also the lightest knife.
YKLE: The created some medium bites. Not as good as the DMDC but not as bad as the RC-4. The nub at the bottom of the end of the handle created the same problem as the DMDC. The paracord handle was actually slightly more comfortable.
Nimravus: Almost as bad as the SOG in chopping. Very shallow bites along with deep bidirectional pattering of the aluminum handles make this one of the poorer choppers.
RMD: Created medium-deep bits. About as good as the knife was expected to perform.
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee292/The_Aaij_1/DSC_0155-1.jpg
The best choppers were the LMF II and the DMDC.
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee292/The_Aaij_1/DSC_0156.jpg